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Mark Moran / The Citizens' Voice
Tunkhannock senior Ben Spencer broke the District 2 record in the 200 IM last week.

Ben Spencer is a humble athlete, surprised at times, by his own success.

He is dedicated to swimming, pouring his heart and soul into the pool. Early in the morning and late into the afternoon, the Tunkhannock senior knows no limits when it comes to training.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing for him either.

There have been injuries and setbacks that would discourage most. But he forges ahead in search of victory in a sport he has been committed to for most of his life.

On Wednesday, Spencer will reap the rewards of his efforts when he competes at the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University.

His goal is to race his best times, hoping they will be good enough to land him on the medal stand in his final season.

"I know that I have a lot more room to get better," said Spencer, who will compete in the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 100 backstroke in the Class AA meet. "I think I have a lot left. It is a different atmosphere at states because it's like the icing on the cake.

"I will be a lot more calm and I will be a lot more relaxed."

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Because his grandparents had a swimming pool in their back yard, Spencer and his younger brother Jacob were introduced to the water at very young ages.

Their mother Audra, a field hockey player at Tunkhannock in high school and a sixth-grade teacher in the district, taught them both all of the swimming strokes.

But Spencer had trouble with his feet, having no arches.

He needed corrective surgery and spent weeks on crutches in third grade, his mother said.

Part of his rehabilitation was spent swimming. And he had found a new sport.

"It was tough because I wasn't the most athletic kid," said Spencer, who began with age-group swimming. "I didn't know much about the sport. I had to really learn."

It took some time to achieve success.

A growth spurt that had him at 6-feet-1 at 11 years old made the transition a bit easier.

"Everything just seemed to click," Spencer said.

As he advanced into junior high, Spencer also played football, which he considered his favorite sport, and baseball.

But an injured shoulder as a freshman caused him to miss six weeks of the football season, and swimming became his priority.

"As much as I begged my mom to let me play, I realize now why she wouldn't let me do it," Spencer said. "I really like swimming much more."

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Spencer competed on the varsity team as a freshman.

He learned valuable training lessons from teammate David Novak, which included workouts before dawn and more after school.

As a junior, Spencer earned a pair of gold medals in the District 2 Class AAA meet in the 200 IM and the 100 backstroke. He placed 23rd in the PIAA meet in the 100 back.

"It's a lot of hard work," his mother said. "There are a lot of early mornings and it takes a lot of dedication on his part."

After the season, he embarked on a challenging offseason schedule.

It included competing in the AAU Junior Olympics in Texas. There he had a chance to swim in a long course pool.

At meets, it is a family affair for Spencer. His parents, who are divorced, are his greatest supporters, he said. His mom is there shouting words of encouragement, while his father, Tom, is a calming influence.

His brother, Jacob, a freshman, is also on the varsity team.

"He tells me every time I swim that I did a good job after the race," Jacob said. "Then, he will tell me what I did wrong. That's good though."

In last week's District 2 Class AA championships, Spencer was at his best.

He set a district record in the 200 IM in 1:58.09 - a time that even stunned him and has him among the top seeded athletes at the state meet.

His high school swimming career is winding down.

But it is not over.

A member of the Future Business Leaders of America at Tunkhannock, Spencer, 17, plans on studying business management at Clarion University. He also aims to swim there.

But not until he tries to earn a few more medals.

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